OKC Thunder: Durant could learn from Carmelo Anthony’s classy departure

Despite Carmelo Anthony’s short one year stint with the OKC Thunder he leaves with class, something a recently departed star who owed Oklahoma more could learn from.

Carmelo Anthony is a Houston Rocket. However, before he dons a Rockets jersey he had one final task to finish, to thank the OKC Thunder franchise, city of Oklahoma and the fans.

The Carmelo Anthony chronicles came to an end in Oklahoma City on July 20, 2018, as the Thunder dealt Melo to the Hawks for Dennis Schröder. Fast forward to August 13, 2018, and Melo has officially signed with the Rockets.

Yet, before training camp opens in roughly one month, Melo had one final task to accomplish in Oklahoma City, thank the city and organization. Carmelo penned his thank you letter via Erik Horne of NewsOK.com/The Oklahoman.

Melo is an old school player, therefore it is not one bit surprising Melo went through the local newspaper. Rather than take the more modern approach, such as the player’s tribune.

Courtesy counts for something

I enjoy when players thank the city they previously played in before joining their new team, regardless of how long they spent there. Furthermore, one of my biggest gripes with Kevin Durant after he departed, is the fact he never thanked the city for the support they provided him for eight years.

*Nine counting KD’s rookie year in Seattle

Moreover, writing a thank you letter is not required by a player when they are departing a team. However, it is a nice jester that goes a long way.

Why did Melo only thank two players?

In the letter, Melo only addresses two of his teammates among other members of the organization. The two players Carmelo thanked were Paul George and Russell Westbrook.

Which is understandable considering Westbrook and George were the driving force behind Anthony arriving in Oklahoma City. Be that as it may, there are likely one of two reasons why Melo only addressed Russ and PG.

Firstly, he views PG and Russ as his equal, while his other teammates are in a class below himself and his fellow superstar teammates. I believe the first scenario is a long shot.

Secondly and more plausibly, perhaps Melo only thanked PG and Russ because he did not like his other teammates, more specifically he did not like Steven Adams.

Adams vs Melo

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When Carmelo went on his social media tirade earlier this summer Russ, PG, or both liked the majority of Melo’s Instagram posts, Adams liked one post. Adams also liked a post on Instagram this summer criticizing Melo.

The largest piece of evidence detailing Adams and Melo’s relationship came during Game 5 vs the Utah Jazz. Melo was unhappy about being on the bench, and he got into an argument with assistant coach Mo Cheeks. Many pundits and fans discussed their verbal scuffle.

Melo got into a verbal altercation with Adams on the bench as well, during Game 5. Adams is typically pretty mellow, no pun intended. But, this was the most aggravated I had ever seen Adams. In all likelihood, that was not the first heated argument to occur between Adams and Carmelo.

Officially closing the Carmelo chapter.

In closing, the Carmelo Anthony experiment did not work out for either party involved. Melo was candid about the situation this past season, in his exit interview back in April. Despite holding all the cards in the situation by possessing a player option and no-trade clause, Melo agreed to a deal.

Just as Melo did not have to thank Oklahoma City, he also did not have to accept a trade. A trade, that benefited the Thunder nonetheless. All in all, Melo is not a bad person, player, or teammate, he was a bad fit. When Melo returns with the Rockets this upcoming season, he deserves applause, rather than boos.